A conventional method to produce an inlay site containing a high frequency RFID chip and an antenna embedded into a multi-layer substrate and connected to the terminals (terminal areas) of the RFID chip is to first position the RFID chip in a recess, supported by a lower substrate layer, then start embedding (countersinking) a wire conductor onto or into the top substrate layer in the direction of the RFID chip, then guiding the wire conductor over a first terminal area of the RFID chip, then continue the embedding process by forming an antenna in the top substrate layer with a given number of turns, then guiding the wire conductor over the second terminal area, and finally embedding the wire conductor again into the top substrate layer before cutting the wire to complete the high frequency transponder site. In a next stage of the production process, the wire ends passing over the terminal areas are interconnected by means of thermal compression bonding. Adhesively placing a wire conductor onto the top substrate layer is an alternative to embedding, and typically involves self-bonding coated wire conductor.
A wire embedding apparatus may be an ultrasonic wire guide tool, known as a “sonotrode”, with a wire feed channel (capillary) passing through the centre of the wire guide tool. The wire conductor is fed through the wire guide tool, emerges from the tip, and by application of pressure and ultrasonic energy the wire conductor is “rubbed” into the substrate, resulting in localized heating of the wire conductor and subsequent sinking of the wire conductor into the substrate material during the movement of the wire guide tool. A wire placement apparatus may also be an ultrasonic tool similar in function to an ultrasonic horn which heats the wire to form an adhesion with a substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,089 (“089 patent”), incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses device for bonding a wire conductor. Device for the contacting of a wire conductor in the course of the manufacture of a transponder unit arranged on a substrate and comprising a wire coil and a chip unit, wherein in a first phase the wire conductor is guided away via the terminal area or a region accepting the terminal area and is fixed on the substrate relative to the terminal area or the region assigned to the terminal area by a wire guide and a portal, and in a second phase the connection of the wire conductor to the terminal area is effected by means of a connecting instrument. FIGS. 1 and 2 of the 089 patent show a wire conductor 20 being embedded in a surface of a substrate 21, by the action of ultrasound. FIG. 3 of the 089 patent shows a wiring device 22 with an ultrasonic generator 34, suitable for embedding the wire. It is believed that the wiring device in the 089 patent can also be used for adhesively placing a wire.
An Inlay and Transponder of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,089 (“089 patent”), incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses device for bonding a wire conductor. Device for the contacting of a wire conductor in the course of the manufacture of a transponder unit arranged on a substrate and comprising a wire coil and a chip unit, wherein in a first phase the wire conductor is guided away via the terminal area or a region accepting the terminal area and is fixed on the substrate relative to the terminal area or the region assigned to the terminal area by a wire guide and a portal, and in a second phase the connection of the wire conductor to the terminal area is effected by means of a connecting instrument. FIGS. 1 and 2 of the 089 patent show a wire conductor 20 being embedded in a surface of a substrate 21, by the action of ultrasound. FIG. 3 of the 089 patent shows a wiring device 22 with an ultrasonic generator 34, suitable for embedding the wire. It is believed that the wiring device in the 089 patent can also be used for adhesively placing a wire.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an inlay substrate (or sheet) 100 having a plurality of transponder areas. A selected one of the transponder areas 102 constituting a single transponder is shown in detail. The vertical and horizontal dashed lines (in FIG. 1A) are intended to indicate that there may be additional transponder areas (and corresponding additional transponders) disposed to the left and right of, as well as above and below, the transponder area 102, on the inlay sheet 100. Such a plurality of transponders may be arranged in an array on the (larger) inlay sheet. As best viewed in FIG. 1B, the inlay sheet 100 may be a multi-layer substrate 104 comprising one or more upper (top) layers 104a and one or more lower (bottom) layers 104b. 
A recess 106 may be formed in (through) the upper layer 104a, at a “transponder chip site”, so that a transponder chip 108 may be disposed in the recess, and supported by the lower layer 104b. The transponder chip 108 is shown having two terminals 108a and 108b on a top surface thereof. The transponder chip 108 may be a chip module, or an RFID chip.
Generally, the recess 106 is sized and shaped to accurately position the transponder chip 108, having side dimensions only slightly larger than the transponder chip 108 to allow the transponder chip 108 to be located within the recess. For example,                1. the transponder chip 108 may measure: 5.0×8.0 mm        2. the recess 106 may measure: 5.1×8.1 mm        3. the terminals 108a/b may measure: 5.0×1.45 mm        4. the wire (discussed below) may have a diameter between 80 and 112 μm One millimeter (mm) equals one thousand (1000) micrometers (μm, “micron”).        
In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the recess 106 may be illustrated with an exaggerated gap between its inside edges and the outside edges of the chip 108, for illustrative clarity. In reality, the gap may be only approximately 50 μm-100 μm (0.05 mm-0.1 mm).
In FIG. 1A the terminals 108a and 108b are shown reduced in size (narrower in width), for illustrative clarity. (From the dimensions given above, it is apparent that the terminals 108a and 108b can extend substantially the full width of the transponder chip 108.)
It should be understood that the transponder chip 108 is generally snugly received within the recess 106, with dimensions suitable that the chip 108 does not move around after being located within the recess 106, in anticipation of the wire ends 110a, 110b being bonded to the terminals 108a, 108b. As noted from the exemplary dimensions set forth above, only very minor movement of the chip 108, such as a small fraction of a millimeter (such as 50 μm-100 μm) can be tolerated.
As best viewed in FIG. 1A, an antenna wire 110 is disposed on a top surface (side) of the substrate, and may be formed into a flat (generally planar) coil, having two end portions 110a and 110b. 
As best viewed in FIG. 1B, the antenna wire is “mounted” to the substrate, which includes “embedding” (countersinking) the antenna wire into the surface of the substrate, or “adhesively placing” (adhesively sticking) the antenna wire on the surface of the substrate. In either case (embedding or adhesively placing), the wire typically feeds out of a capillary 116 of an ultrasonic wire guide tool (not shown). The capillary 116 is typically disposed perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 100. The capillary 116 is omitted from the view in FIG. 1A, for illustrative clarity.
The antenna wire 110 may be considered “heavy” wire (such as 80 Mm-112 μm), which requires higher bonding loads than those used for “fine” wire (such as 30 μm). Rectangular section copper ribbon (such as 60×30 μm) can be used in place of round wire.
The capillary 116 may be vibrated by an ultrasonic vibration mechanism (not shown), so that it vibrates in the vertical or longitudinal (z) direction, such as for embedding the wire in the surface of the substrate, or in a horizontal or transverse (y) direction, such as for adhesively placing the wire on the surface of the substrate. In FIG. 1B, the wire 110 is shown slightly spaced (in drawing terminology, “exploded” away) from the substrate, rather than having been embedded (countersunk) in or adhesively placed (stuck to) on the surface of the substrate.
The antenna wire 110 may be mounted in the form of a flat coil, having two ends portions 110a and 110b. The ends portions 110a and 110b of the antenna coil wire 110 are shown extending over (FIG. 1A) and may subsequently be connected, such as by thermal-compression bonding (not shown), to the terminals 108a and 108b of the transponder chip 108, respectively.
Examples of embedding a wire in a substrate, in the form of a flat coil, and a tool for performing the embedding (and a discussion of bonding), may be found in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,089 (refer, for example, to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 12 and 13 of the patent). It is known that a coated, self-bonding wire will stick to a synthetic (e.g., plastic) substrate because when vibrated sufficiently to soften (make sticky) the coating and the substrate.
In FIG. 1B, the wire 110 is shown slightly spaced (in drawing terminology, “exploded” away) from the terminals 108a/b of the transponder chip 108, rather than having been bonded thereto, for illustrative clarity. In practice, this is generally the situation—namely, the end portions of the wires span (or bridge), the recess slightly above the terminals to which they will be bonded, in a subsequent step. Also illustrated in FIG. 1B is a “generic” bond head, poised to move down (see arrow) onto the wire 110b to bond it to the terminal 108b. The bond head 118 is omitted from the view in FIG. 1A, for illustrative clarity.
The interconnection process can be inner lead bonding (diamond tool), thermal compression bonding (thermode), ultrasonic bonding, laser bonding, soldering, ColdHeat soldering (Athalite) or conductive gluing.
As best viewed in FIG. 1A, in case the antenna wire 110 needs to cross over itself, such as is illustrated in the dashed-line circled area “c” of the antenna coil, it is evident that the wire should typically be an insulated wire, generally comprising a metallic core and an insulation (typically a polymer) coating. Generally, it is the polymer coating that facilitates the wire to be “adhesively placed” on (stuck to) a plastic substrate layer. (It is not always the case that the wire needs to cross over itself. See, for example, FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,089).
In order to feed the wire conductor back and forth through the ultrasonic wire guide tool, a wire tension/push mechanism (not shown) can be used or by application of compressed air it is possible to regulate the forward and backward movement of the wire conductor by switching the air flow on and off which produces a condition similar to the Venturi effect.
By way of example, the wire conductor can be self-bonding copper wire or partially coated self bonding copper wire, enamel copper wire or partially coated enamel wire, silver coated copper wire, un-insulated wire, aluminum wire, doped copper wire or litz wire.
FIG. 1A herein resembles FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,089 (the '089 patent), which has a similar coil antenna (50) with an initial coil region (51) and a final coil region (52) comparable to the antenna 110 with two end portions 110a and 110b described herein. In the '089 patent, the coil (50) is arranged on a substrate 55 which comprises a substrate recess (56, compare 106 herein) in the interior region (53) of the coil (50).
In FIG. 5 of the '089 patent, it can be seen that the initial and final coil regions (end portions) of the wires extend across the recess. In FIG. 6 of the '089 patent, it can be seen that the recess extends completely through the substrate. If the antenna is mounted to the substrate prior to the chip being installed in the recess (and the antenna is mounted to the front/top surface/side of the substrate, as shown), due to the fact that the antenna wires are “blocking” entry to the recess from the top/front surface of the substrate, the chip must be installed into the recess from the back (bottom) side of the substrate, as indicated by FIG. 6 of the '089 patent.                FIG. 7 of the '089 patent shows the subsequent (inter)connection of the terminal areas 59 of the chip unit 58 to the initial coil region 51 and to the final coil region 52 by means of a thermode 60 which under the influence of pressure and temperature creates a connection by material closure between the wire conductor 20 and the terminal areas 59, as an overall result of which a card module 64 is formed.Dual Interface Card Prior Art        
The conventional method to produce a dual interface card or combi-card (contactless & contact) is to embed an antenna into a substrate, form squiggles at the position under the chip module and to laminate the layers to create a pre-laminated inlay.
US patent application 20020020903 from Hans-Diedrich Kreft (assigned to Angewandte Digital Elektronik—ADE) describes a microchip card capable of operation both as a contactless card and as a contact card. Patents from ADE include U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,812 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,993. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,190,942 & 6,095,423 from Robert Wilm (assigned to PAV Card) describe a method of producing said card.
Two manufacturing methods are used to produce dual interface cards (with Contact & Contactless functionality). The first method involves embedding an antenna into a non-conductive sheet (at each site in an array) whereby the connection to the respective chip module is prepared by embedding squiggles or meanders at the position where a contact chip module will reside. The non-conductive sheet with the antennae is hot or cold laminated to an upper layer to form a pre-laminated dual interface inlay for further processing by a smart card manufacturer. At the secure printers, the pre-laminated inlay is laminated to an upper and lower printed sheet (including an anti-scratch overlay), and then each site in the array is punched to release a single card body. In the next step of the process, a cavity or recess to accommodate the contact chip module is milled out of the card body to a depth where the wire ends of the antenna (as squiggles) are positioned. The contact chip module is then bonded to the antenna using conductive glue. For the purpose of clarity, it should be emphasized that the contact chip module has contact pads on the face up side (ISO 7816 smart card) as well as on the face down side for interconnection to the antenna (Contactless e.g. ISO/IEC 14443).
The critical manufacturing process is the interconnection of the wire ends of the antenna to the chip module. Apart from yield loss during production, the life time of the finished product is difficult to guarantee with certainty, as torsion and bending of the card body at the position of the chip module results in operational failure.
An alternative conventional approach to the above method is to embed an antenna into a non-conductive sheet and to pass the wire ends of the antenna over an opening at each site in the array which can later accommodate the interconnection pads and mould mass of a contact chip module. In the next step, a contact chip module is placed onto the surface of the non-conductive sheet with the interconnection pads for connection to the antenna facing down into the opening. Then the wire ends of each antenna are connected by means of thermal compression bonding or soldering to the face down interconnection pads on the chip module.
The sheet with the array of contact chip modules connected to the underlying antennae is hot or cold laminated with a second sheet (or several sheets) to form a dual interface inlay. To protect the contact chip module from damage due to pressure during the lamination process, a removable sheet (approx. 240 micron, e.g. Teflon) equal in thickness to the protruding printed circuit board of the contact chip module, has openings to accept the chip modules.
This means that the removable sheet is flush with all the chip modules, having an even surface for lamination. In some cases, an additional sheet (release film) such as Pacothane is used to further protect the contact chip modules. After lamination, the removable sheet and the Pacothane is detached from the inlay, leaving the PCB part of the contact chip modules protruding over the surface of the inlay.
At the secure printers, the overlay sheet and the printed sheet (typically offset printing) are laminated together and openings are punched into the laminate to accommodate the chip modules on the dual interface inlay. The dual interface inlay is sandwiched between the upper and lower printed sheet laminates, and then laminated together.
Although the problem of a weak interconnection of the antenna to the contact chip module is partially resolved, there are serious problems of chip breakage during both (pre & final) lamination processes as well as the shrinkage of the materials leaving a spoiled printed sheet around the contact chip module area. To compensate for shrinkage, it is possible to match the grain direction of the materials to one another and to provide for indents in the lamination plates, but the overall yield loss is significant.
A Dual Interface Card
German printed patent document DE 39 35 364 discloses a chip card that has an electronic chip with a memory, contacts and contactless transmission means such as coils and/or condensers which are embedded in the card material and which, for purposes of supplying energy to the chip, exchange energy and bi-directional data with a terminal via the contacts or else contact-free. The chip of the chip card has an electronic circuit which generates a logical signal that, depending on the occurrence of voltage at the contacts or at a coil, is logically “high” or logically “low”. As a result, the chip card is autonomously capable of deciding whether it is being addressed via the contact-coupled segment or via the contactless segment and consequently, it functions accordingly. This chip card, which is also called Dual Interface Card or CombiCard, is likewise described in the literature reference Helmut Lemme, Der Mikrorechner in der Brieftasche [The microcomputer in your wallet], Elektronik 26/1993, pp. 70-80. This chip card offers considerably greater reliability than the simple contactless cards. German printed patent document DE 44 43 980 also describes connecting the coils and the chip in a special manner.
Method for Connecting an Antenna to Chip Unit
A conventional method to produce an inlay is to embed insulated wire into a synthetic material or a coated substrate, form an antenna coil with a number of turns and interconnect the wire ends of the antenna to a transponder chip (or chip module). The interconnection of the antenna wire to the chip module is non-trivial, and it can be beneficial that the chip module can be installed on a substrate which has already been prepared with an antenna coil.
The conventional method to produce an inlay site containing a high frequency RFID chip and an antenna embedded into a multi-layer substrate and connected to the terminal areas of the RFID chip, is to embed a wire conductor into the top substrate layer in the direction of the RFID chip residing in a recess and supported by a lower substrate layer, then to guide the wire conductor over the first terminal area of the RFID chip, continue the embedding process by countersinking the wire conductor into the top substrate layer to form an antenna with a given number of turns and then guiding the wire conductor over the second terminal area and finally embedding the wire conductor again into the top substrate layer before cutting the wire to complete the high frequency transponder site. In the next stage of the production process the wire ends passing over the terminal areas are interconnected by means of thermal compression bonding.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,089 (“089 patent”), incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses device for bonding a wire conductor. Device for the contacting of a wire conductor (113) in the course of the manufacture of a transponder unit arranged on a substrate (111) and comprising a wire coil (112) and a chip unit (115), wherein in a first phase the wire conductor (113) is guided away via the terminal area (118, 119) or a region accepting the terminal area and is fixed on the substrate (111) relative to the terminal area (118, 119) or the region assigned to the terminal area by a wire guide and a portal, and in a second phase the connection of the wire conductor (113) to the terminal area (118,119) is effected by means of a connecting instrument (125).                FIGS. 1 and 2 of the '089 patent show a wire conductor 20 being embedded in a surface of a substrate 21, by the action of ultrasound. FIG. 3 of the 089 patent shows a wiring device 22 with an ultrasonic generator 34, suitable for embedding the wire. It is believed that the wiring device in the 089 patent can also be used for adhesively placing a wire.        FIG. 4 of the '089 patent shows a wire conductor 20 on a substrate 42. The substrate 42 has a recess 45. The wire is ultrasonically embedded in the substrate. The wire is not embedded in the recess. In passing over the recess, “the ultrasonic loading of the wire conductor 20 is interrupted while the latter is being guided away via the substrate recess in the course of the wiring operation”. (column 9, lines 51-54) FIG. 5 of the 089 patent also shows a coil 50 on a substrate 55 having a recess 56. The coil 50 has an initial coil region 51 and a final coil region 52. As shown in FIG. 6 of the 089 patent, a chip unit 58 may be placed in the substrate recess 56, from a side of the substrate opposite from the coil 50, and FIG. 7 shows subsequent connection of terminal areas of the chip unit to the initial coil region 51 and to the final coil region 52 by means of a thermode 60.        FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 of the '089 patent show a wire 113 on a substrate 111 having a recess 114 to accept a chip 115. The wire has ends 116 and 117. The chip has terminals 118 and 119. The wire is embedded using an ultrasonic instrument 125. The wire is guided away via the chip 115 that is received in the recess 114. (column 13, lines 65-66) It is discussed that a single ultrasonic instrument can be used both for fixation of the wire and for connection of the wire to the terminals of the chip. (column 15, lines 33-36)        
The process described above with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15 of the 089 patent also offers the possibility, by appropriate choice of the points of fixation of the wire conductor on the substrate, of guiding the wire conductor away diagonally via the terminal areas, in order to increase the overlap between the wire conductor and the terminal areas. Also, several chips or other elements arranged in series on, or in, a substrate can be connected by means of the wire conductor in the manner represented in FIG. 14. (column 14, lines 39-47). Of particular interest to the present invention are FIGS. 16 and 17 of the 089 patent.                FIGS. 16 and 17 of the 089 patent show that a chip 132 is introduced into the recess 114 after fixation of the wire conductor 113 on the surface of the substrate. Ends of the wire pass over the recess, generally in alignment with positions corresponding to terminals on the chip. After the chip is installed (FIG. 16), a connecting instrument enables a connection of the wire conductor to the corresponding terminal area. (Also, as discussed therein, in order to enable a positioning of the chip that is suitable for contacting of the wire conductor, the chip 132 is equipped on its contact side with a bridge-tape alignment aids 135, arranged adjacent to a terminal area, which provide for correct relative positioning via guide bevels 136.Laser Soldering        
Laser soldering is a technique where a ˜30-50 W laser is used to melt and solder an electrical connection joint. Diode laser systems based on semiconductor junctions are used for this purpose. Wavelengths are typically 808 nm through 980 nm. The beam is delivered via an optical fiber to the workpiece, with fiber diameters 800 um and smaller. Since the beam out of the end of the fiber diverges rapidly, lenses are used to create a suitable spot size on the workpiece at a suitable working distance. A wire feeder is used to supply solder. Both lead-tin and silver-tin material can be soldered. Process recipes will differ depending on the alloy composition. For soldering 44-pin chip carriers to a board using soldering preforms, power levels were on the order of 10 Watts and solder times approximately 1 second. Low power levels can lead to incomplete wetting and the formation of voids, both of which can weaken the joint. The following patents and article are incorporated by reference herein: See also Laser-unterstütztes Flip-Chip Bonden, Dr. Mani Alavi, HSG IMIT, LB000-0300, pages 1-4                European Patent EP0947281, incorporated by reference herein, discloses device and method for thermo-compression bonding. The arrangement has a wedge (10) which can be applied to a bonding point (14) and an associated optical conductor (19). The conductor is coupled to a laser light (23) source and directed towards a section of bonding wire (13) beneath the wedge between it and the bonding position. The conductor is fed through the wedge to near the bonded wire section so that only this section is heated for thermo-compression bonding when laser energy is coupled in.        
European Patent EP0999729, incorporated by reference herein, process for laser soldering and for temperature monitoring of semi-conductor chips, and chip cards manufactured according to this process. A laser beam (32) heats solder (12) applied to a solder point to melting point, and interrupts the beam. The laser beam is applied to the reverse side of a packageless semiconductor chip (10) opposite the side with the solder point. Solder of at least two solder points may be heated simultaneously, or all solder points may be heated at the same time. The laser may be applied for 0.1 to 0.5 seconds, with a focus diameter of 0.1 to 2.0 mm at a power of up to about 10 W. An Independent claim for a method of ending a soldering process during laser soldering of a semiconductor chip is also included.